We are Learning our Lessons Well
While in Cabo, we ended a night at a Karaoke Party where my grands showed off their singing and dancing skills. Hilarious! I played the blow-up guitar and wore a Balls of Fire Hat (oh, me!) as I gigged with them!
New Year’s Eve night, we danced to the beat of the DJ’s music during the New Year’s Eve Dinner and Party. With my grands and their spirited personalities, and the mom and dad who are akin to Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus whose goal is that everyone is having a good time, eating good food and sharing great love between each other, the day ended far better than we expected.
The prior day, starting with me, I woke in the middle of the night for a routine bathroom visit. Sorry! TMI! The toilet paper roll fell off its holder. In my quest to retrieve it, I smashed into a stout stucco dividing wall, head-first, with blood spewing from the cut right beside my left eye. I hastened to the kitchen for ice. I’m sparing you the photo! Ugh! Dark eye shadow helps to disguise my “shiner”!
Then Barrett & Hannah, having to leave for the airport to get home for the dogs, checked-in and lo and behold, Barrett had my passport. I had his. They were less than an hour from departure so Danny, our Sou Chef, in his car, and me, headed the 35 minutes to the Cabo International Airport. Danny must be a NASCAR driver because he dodged in and out of traffic with no holds barred. With mere minutes to spare, they checked in and thru to their gate.
I told you those series of joys AND mishaps because they were all still in 2022. And, hopefully, our 2023 events will come far safer and easier than how 2022 ended.
What do we do with our upset apple carts, or our own mistakes of not checking to be sure the customs officer gave us the right passports back to us? Or a big bang on the head from not turning the bathroom light on to avoid brick walls!
What do we do when being a child of God isn’t about smooth sailing always? The truth is — we are not “adults of God,” we are “children of God.” The word “child” implies that we are still learning. In the learning process,
So when you hear the name “Jesus Christ,” what comes to your mind? Sure, my parents had expectations of me, but they were never higher than the expectations I placed on myself when I lived in my identity as a “child of God.” For most of my life, I felt I had to be perfect. But being a child of God doesn’t mean “perfection required”. It simply means we are striving for holiness and to please Him.
At the first part of this new year, let’s take “perfection” off the list of resolutions. Instead, let’s recognize how we are striving for holiness so we can receive and “see what love the Father has bestowed on us” (1 John 3:1).
Missing the mark, making a mistake, failure to check the details, omitting an important fact, forgetting where the keys were left, OR if the passport you are carrying isn’t yours (especially when there are 11 of you traveling together), running your head into a brick wall, and so many other imperfections we carry, is a part of humanity. Quitting is for the faint-hearted. Overcoming is valiant and praiseworthy.
Count me in. I’m not giving up until I’m taken up. In the meantime, I’m learning my lessons well. How about you?